Ch6

Management tenth edition

Stephen P. Robbins Mary Coulter

Chapter
Managers
6 as
Decision Makers
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as Prentice Hall
6–1

Learning Outcomes
Follow this Learning Outline as you read and
study this chapter.

6.1 The Decision-Making Process.
• Define decision.
• Describe the eight steps in the decision-making process.

6.2 Managers Making Decisions.
• Discuss the assumptions of rational decision making.
• Describe the concepts of bounded rationality, satisficing, and
escalation of commitment.
• Explain intuitive decision making.
6–2

Learning Outcomes

6.3 Types Of Decisions and Decision-Making
Conditions.
• Explain the two types of problems and decisions.
• Contrast the three decision making conditions.
• Explain maximax, maximin, and minimax decision choice
approaches.
6.4 Decision-Making Styles
• Describe two decision-making styles.
• Discuss the twelve decision-making biases.
• Explain the managerial decision-making model.
6–3

Learning Outcomes

6.5 Effective Decision Making In Today’s World.
• Explain how managers can make effective decisions
in today’s world.
• List the six characteristics of an effective decision
making process.
• List the five habits of highly reliable organizations.

6–4

Decision Making
• Decision
 Making a choice from two or more alternatives.
• The Decision-Making Process
 Identifying a problem and decision criteria and
allocating weights to the criteria.
 Developing, analyzing, and selecting an alternative
that can resolve the problem.
 Implementing the selected alternative.
 Evaluating the decision’s effectiveness.

6–5

Exhibit 6–1
The Decision-Making
Process

6–6

Step 1: Identifying the Problem
• Problem
 A discrepancy between an existing and desired state
of affairs.
• Characteristics of Problems
 A problem becomes a problem when a manager
becomes aware of it.
 There is pressure to solve the problem.
 The manager must have the authority, information, or
resources needed to solve the problem.
6–7

Step 2: Identifying Decision Criteria
• Decision criteria are factors that are important
(relevant) to resolving the problem such as:
 Costs that will be incurred (investments required)
 Risks likely to be encountered (chance of failure)
 Outcomes that are desired (growth of the firm)

Step 3: Allocating Weights to the Criteria
• Decision criteria are not of equal importance:
 Assigning a weight to each item places the items in
the correct priority order of their importance in the
decision-making process.
6–8

Exhibit 6–2 Criteria and Weights for Computer Replacement
Decision

Criterion Weight
Memory and Storage 10
Battery life 8
Carrying Weight 6
Warranty 4
Display Quality 3

6–9

Step 4: Developing Alternatives
• Identifying viable alternatives
 Alternatives are listed (without evaluation) that can
resolve the problem.

Step 5: Analyzing Alternatives
• Appraising each alternative’s strengths and
weaknesses
 An alternative’s appraisal is based on its ability to
resolve the issues identified in steps 2 and 3.

6–10

Exhibit 6–3 Assessed Values of Laptop
Computers Using Decision Criteria

6–11

Step 6: Selecting an Alternative
• Choosing the best alternative
 The alternative with the highest total weight is
chosen.

Step 7: Implementing the
Alternative
• Putting the chosen alternative into action.
 Conveying the decision to and gaining commitment
from those who will carry out the decision.

6–12

Exhibit 6–4 Evaluation of Laptop Alternatives
Against Weighted Criteria

6–13

Step 8: Evaluating the Decision’s
Effectiveness
• The soundness of the decision is judged by its
outcomes.
 How effectively was the problem resolved by
outcomes resulting from the chosen alternatives?
 If the problem was not resolved, what went wrong?

6–14

Exhibit 6–5 Decisions in the Management
Functions

6–15

Making Decisions
• Rationality
 Managers make consistent, value-maximizing choices
with specified constraints.
 Assumptions are that decision makers:
 Are perfectly rational, fully objective, and logical.
 Have carefully defined the problem and identified all viable
alternatives.
 Have a clear and specific goal
 Will select the alternative that maximizes outcomes in the
organization’s interests rather than in their personal interests.

6–16

Making Decisions (cont’d)
• Bounded Rationality
 Managers make decisions rationally, but are limited
(bounded) by their ability to process information.
 Assumptions are that decision makers:
 Will not seek out or have knowledge of all alternatives
 Will satisfice—choose the first alternative encountered that
satisfactorily solves the problem—rather than maximize the
outcome of their decision by considering all alternatives and
choosing the best.
 Influence on decision making
 Escalation of commitment: an increased commitment to a
previous decision despite evidence that it may have been
Copyright wrong. Pearson Education, Inc.
© 2010
6–17

Types of Problems and Decisions
• Structured Problems
 Involve goals that are clear.
 Are familiar (have occurred before).
 Are easily and completely defined—information about
the problem is available and complete.

• Programmed Decision
 A repetitive decision that can be handled by a routine
approach.

6–18

Types of Programmed Decisions
• Procedure
 A series of interrelated steps that a manager can use
to respond (applying a policy) to a structured problem.
• Rule
 An explicit statement that limits what a manager or
employee can or cannot do.
• Policy
 A general guideline for making a decision about a
structured problem.

6–19

Policy, Procedure, and Rule
Examples
• Policy
 Accept all customer-returned merchandise.

• Procedure
 Follow all steps for completing merchandise return
documentation.

• Rules
 Managers must approve all refunds over $50.00.
Copyrightcredit purchases are refunded
 No © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. for cash.
6–20

Problems and Decisions (cont’d)
• Unstructured Problems
 Problems that are new or unusual and for which
information is ambiguous or incomplete.
 Problems that will require custom-made solutions.

• Nonprogrammed Decisions
 Decisions that are unique and nonrecurring.
 Decisions that generate unique responses.

6–21

Exhibit 6–7 Programmed Versus Nonprogrammed Decisions

6–22

Decision-Making Conditions
• Certainty
 A situation in which a manager can make an accurate
decision because the outcome of every alternative
choice is known.
• Risk
 A situation in which the manager is able to estimate
the likelihood (probability) of outcomes that result
from the choice of particular alternatives.

6–23

Terms to Know
• decision • policy
• Decision-making process • unstructured problems
• problem • nonprogrammed decisions
• decision criteria • certainty
• rational decision making • risk
• bounded rationality • uncertainty
• satisficing • directive style
• escalation of commitment • analytic style
• intuitive decision making • conceptual style
• structured problems • behavioral style
• programmed decision • heuristics
• procedure • business performance
• rule management (BPM) software
6–24

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.

6–25

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